Routine
by SnapesYukuai
Summary: When Nick has gone literally numb with exhaustion Sean is there to guide his mate through it and help him wind down. fluff and care. semi-somnolent character. cuddling feeding bathing. established Renhardt


Routine:

When his beloved Grimm comes home with Wu dropping him off and actually following him all the way up to their front door, Sean knows it is one of those days.

Over the course of the last week Nick and Hank have worked a gruesome, tiring case, that has not only involved dragging up the workings of a truly depraved mind but also a lot of violence. No doubt Wu's next stop is Hank's flat, where the Afro-American will crash for much needed sleep.

Sean has answered the door on first ring, already being forewarned by the diligent Sergeant, that they'll arrive soon. He thanks Wu before pulling Nick inside, knowing exactly what to do. He has learned his lesson well.

"I'm going to take care of you, hmm?" He states in a soothing murmur, that Nick only gleans any meaning of from the timber of his voice. His Grimm is too tired for greetings. He takes a tiny step forward into the room, eyes closed almost all the way, pools of gray barely visible under heavy lids.

He looks like death warmed over, is tired to the bone.

… No, that doesn't quite cut it. He is literally numb with exhaustion, mind long gone while his body is still keyed up and not yet able to let go.

For once it has been a cold day in Portland.

Sean helps him unwind the scarf from around his neck and slip out of his coat. Nick's hands clumsily try helping but the zauberbiest just pushes them out of the way gently. Telling him to stop would be fruitless. It is as he has said, Nick's mind has long since slipped off into subspace.

Done with his work he takes a moment to cradle him to his chest, kiss the crown of his head and lightly nuzzle his temple. Nick doesn't cuddle back. He leans into the embrace but Sean is all too aware of how tense he is holding himself.

"You've run yourself ragged, haven't you, mon gamin?"

A last kiss to his forehead, then he is leading him toward the living room and over to the couch. Sean is not put out by Nick's cool greeting. This isn't about rejection, this is about Nick's body being reduced to the most basic functions by heavy exhaustion. He is running on autopilot, stuck on routine, where his conscious mind fails.

Cuddling him has been reassurance that his beloved really is only tired and not injured, and also a test of how far Nick is along. He is not ready yet.

On to the sofa, sitting instead of lying down.

"Food is in order, I would say."

Standing before him and leaning down, he rakes his hand through Nick's raven black locks, pushing short bangs out of his face, gaze softening at feeling the slight pressure of his love leaning into the touch. He leaves to prepare a light meal of sandwiches and tea to feed his Grimm with.

GRIMM GRIMM GRIMM

He settles next to his exhausted partner, who is still sitting upright despite closed eyes and sunken posture. As soon as he has sat down,though, Nick sags boneless against him, moving his head to disappear into the folds of Sean's thick jumper. It is a beginning. He is starting to respond to incentives apart from those falling directly into his routine. With a small smile he looks down on his Grimm and makes sure to align him snugly to his side before taking up the plate.

With soft words he coaxes him to turn his head a little bit and to take the first of many small chunks of sandwich, that Sean has broken off to slip between his lips. Someone not knowing the Grimm might ask, if Sean isn't over-indulging his mate. Well, they really don't know Nick then.

He is for all intents and purposes asleep, yet his body – Grimm survival instincts in particular – won't let him wind down. There is an inner drive still pushing him on, and before that hasn't been calmed down, there is no chance for rest and relaxation. So they are working through a routine of slowly getting Nick to let go.

He doesn't talk much while feeding him. Just small, easy orders like 'Open your mouth.', 'Take a sip.'….

GRIMM GRIMM GRIMM

Nick perceives all this on a barely there level. He feels the warmth of Sean's body, knows it is his beloved zauberbiest and obeys his orders without question. Beyond that he is out of game. His conscious mind has long since shut off, leaving basic instinct and routine in charge. When no more orders are coming, he snuggles back into the source of warmth. It is instinctive, too. His body isn't very clear on what should come next: Lounging on the couch, taking a shower? No, he should do something else, needs to stay afoot. The case. He has been fighting, he should be prepared….

„You've done very well."

These simple words shut up anything else for a little while.

GRIMM GRIMM GRIMM

The zauberbiest notes with relief that Nick is starting to settle. He is cuddling, or rather pressing his face into his side and nuzzling to bury himself even deeper into the soft wool of his sweatshirt. Still.

They are not there yet.

Sean extracts himself from under his beloved, moves upstairs to run a bath and fetch night clothes. Next is fetching Nick. He follows him willingly into the bathroom, moving on autopilot and pliable under his sure hands. Clothes are being pulled off while Nick jerks his head in a vague down and forward manner. He is trying to get out of his shirt. The sound of running water has given his instincts another thing to respond to. He isn't succeeding, though, far too clumsy with exhaustion to be anything other than ineffective, but Sean is there to help.

His Grimm huffs once they have managed to undress him. It is a shadow of his usual self, yet it is there. Sean smiles warmly and guides him down into the steaming water, which reaches up to the middle of his chest. At first his arms flay around a bit in an attempt to wash himself but he abandons himself into his Prince's care after some tutting and having his arms guided to rest on his drawn up knees.

Sean washes him from head to toe. Ever since snuggling into him on the sofa Nick hasn't opened his eyes again. He goes by hearing and instinct alone. Gentle motions, hot water soothing aching, tired muscles. Getting soaped up, scrubbed with a soft wash cloth… leaning into these touches whenever possible.

Nick is wax in his 'biest's hands. This is good. They are moving forward. It isn't long now.

When Sean works shampoo into his hair - fingers massaging, gently tugging and then rinsing and washing everything out - Nick emits a tiny, barely audible sound, that would have been a purr, had he been fully there.

„Yes, mon gamin. This is good. Relax and let go. Let me take care."

A soft whisper, that has his Grimm leaning into his touch even more.

GRIMM GRIMM GRIMM

Being guided to stand, toweled off, helped out of the tub and onto their soft bathroom rug. Nick starts focusing solely on his mate's actions instead of instigating his own… instead of following a predefined pattern. Sean watches him closely, drawing his conclusions and acting accordingly. He knows his Grimm well.

He slips a shirt over his head and helps him step into a pair of boxers, before Nick moves into the sphere of his body heat once more, this time all on his own. He buries as deeply and snugly into the huge, warm frame of his powerful 'biest as he can, arms wedged in between their bodies for added warmth and not intent on moving anytime soon. Sean welcomes him all too gladly, pulling him in, cradling him tightly.

This is the way it should be. Nick's body is acknowledging and reacting to what is happening around him. Slowly, oh so slowly he is winding down.

More whispered encouragement, snuggling in deeper, emitting clearer sounds, almost words. Arms sneaking around the well muscled torso of his beloved, a nose seeking the warm skin of Sean's throat, leaning heavily onto his 'biest.

"Se…n."

A single word, a soft exhale, and suddenly Sean has his arms full of dead weight Grimm. He is prepared, has waited for exactly this.

"That's my good boy. You can rest now. I've got you."

A whisper so soft it is barely a thought. Yet Nick responds. A tiny pure sound and then he is completely gone off to sleep. Sean hoists him up, carries him into their bedroom and to their bed. He puts him into it and, after undressing himself, follows right after him.

Snuggling, cradling him close. Feeling safe and cared for.

It is a routine they don't have to go through often. Maybe once or twice a year, when Nick is so completely wrapped up in his work, so utterly worked to exhaustion by a mix of too little sleep and too much adrenaline in too little time that he ends up like this.

By now Sean is proficient at taking care of him. He knows what to do:

He has to guide Nick through as many steps of his normal routine as it takes for even the instinct driven creature inside of him to understand that fighting for survival is over and rest is in order.

And it is important to guide him into going down, too, for otherwise he would have a sleep-walking Grimm sooner than he could blink. He has faced that early in their relationship and it has scared the hell out of him:

At that time Sean had taken him home from the station and put him to bed almost immediately, not wondering about Nick's unusual behavior and chalking it up to tired clumsiness. Well, it has been, but it has been so much more.

He had woken up in the middle of the night to find Nick gone and his clothes still where Sean had put them after helping him into night clothes. After determining that Nick hadn't been anywhere in the house and hadn't left any message either, he had experienced a moment of almost debilitating panic, then he has made a series of phone calls.

After three hours of frantic search with the help of Hank, Monroe and Rosalee, they have found him near the trailer, clad in only his nightclothes, asleep on the forest floor and well on his way to becoming hypothermic.

It has been like today:

His mind has already given in to exhaustion while his body has still been wired up to finish what he had been doing before - in that case, puzzling over the unknown identity of a wesen murderer.

But Sean has learned. After waking up hours later, under mountains of blankets and his mates's worried watch, Nick has groggily explained that Juliette had always known what to do in cases like these. But being the first time this had happened in their relationship, Nick hasn't thought to caution Sean about it.

Sean has made Nick explain in great detail what actions would required of him in case this were to happen again, and ever since it has become second nature to the adaptable zauberbiest.

GRIMM GRIMM GRIMM

He pulls Nick even tighter against his own body, kissing the crown of his head and knowing that tonight there won't be fright and worry but rather sleep and rest. He knows now how to wind down his beloved Grimm Detective.

A nose and forehead find his way to the crook of his neck, arms tighten in response to his own. Nick has gone into subspace completely and is quite content to cuddle up to his 'biest even when deeply asleep. With a content sigh, that is more of a primal growl, Sean nods off as well.

Everything is alright. His Grimm is safe.

Nick will wake tomorrow and sheepishly ask, if he's went under again. Sean will nod and tease him about it and ask him, if he is okay now. There will be taking care of one or the other bruise his Grimm will have sustained during his investigations and there will be a large breakfast to still Nick's hunger, which is always enormous after incidents like these.

Everything will be okay.


End file.
